Built for You: How Assistive Technology and Custom Fabrication Unlock Independence

From the JACO Robotic Arm to 3D-Printed Adaptive Devices — OT at the Forefront of Innovation Independence is not one-size-fits-all. For individuals living with physical disabilities, neurological conditions, spinal cord injuries, or complex movement disorders, the tools that make daily life possible need to be as unique as the people using them. That is the premise behind the assistive technology (AT) work we do at Adaptive Life Therapy.

Our occupational therapists work at the intersection of clinical expertise and cutting-edge technology — evaluating, recommending, training, and often fabricating the devices that help people eat independently, move through their environment, engage with their communities, and live their daily lives with greater autonomy and dignity.

Two areas where we invest significant time and expertise are robotic assistive technology — including the Kinova JACO wheelchair-mounted robotic arm — and custom assistive technology fabrication, including 3D-printed adaptive devices, splints, orthoses, and specialized adaptive equipment. Here is why this work matters, and what the research tells us about its impact.

The Kinova JACO Robotic Arm: Restoring Reach, Restoring Life

The Kinova JACO is a six-degree-of-freedom robotic arm that mounts directly to a power wheelchair. It is designed for individuals with significant upper extremity impairments — including those living with spinal cord injury, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, ALS, and other neurological or neuromuscular conditions — who have lost the ability to reach, grasp, and manipulate objects independently.

What makes the JACO distinctive is not just what it does mechanically, but what it gives back to the person using it. A 2025 study published in Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology (Wichard, 2025) used the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) to assess users’ self-rated performance and satisfaction before and after using the JACO. The findings were clear: users reported significant increases in independence, health and wellness, social participation, and mobility following device use. The researchers concluded that the JACO provides meaningful benefits for individuals with upper extremity disabilities and recommended that rehabilitation professionals use outcome measures to document these improvements in practice.

A qualitative study of JACO owners (Faieta et al., 2025) found that the defining theme across user experiences was straightforward: the device was life-changing. Participants described the JACO enabling them to complete tasks like drinking, opening doors, picking up objects, and managing daily routines — activities that had required caregiver assistance before. The Human Activity Assistive Technology (HAAT) model framing of the study highlighted how the arm’sbenefits extended beyond physical function into greater engagement in daily life, reduced caregiver burden, and improved social participation.

Long-term outcomes matter too. A case series by Beaudoin and colleagues (2019), conducted through McGill University’s School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, documented that JACO increased upper extremity performance and facilitated meaningful life habits over time, with users reporting lasting psychosocial benefits and a high degree of satisfaction with the device even after extended use.

And the technology itself is advancing rapidly. A study by Lebrasseur and colleagues (2021) found that advanced JACO control algorithms — including predefined positions, a fluidity filter, and a specialized drinking mode — led to a reduction of up to 72% in task completion time, along with significant improvements in users’ perceived ease of use and usability.

Why OT Is Essential to Successful JACO Outcomes

Technology alone is not enough. A survey of occupational therapists in North America and Europe (Atigossou et al., 2025) found that while OTs are widely recognized as the right professionals to recommend and implement wheelchair-mounted robotic arms like JACO, only 31% had actually recommended one — largely due to barriers in training, awareness, and funding access. JACO users themselves noted in qualitative interviews that having an occupational therapist trained with the device — someone who could help determine which cup, plate, or adapted accessory works best, and how to integrate the arm into real daily routines — was one of the most important components of successful adoption (Faieta et al., 2025).

At Adaptive Life Therapy, we bridge that gap. Our OTs provide comprehensive JACO evaluations, training, and ongoing support to ensure that the device does not just sit unused — but becomes a true tool for participation and independence.

Custom AT Fabrication: When Off-the-Shelf Is Not Enough

No two bodies, injuries, or daily routines are the same. For many individuals, commercially available assistive devices simply do not fit — literally or functionally. This is where custom assistive technology fabrication becomes one of the most powerful tools in an occupational therapist’s clinical arsenal.

At Adaptive Life Therapy, our therapists design and fabricate a range of custom devices, including thermoplastic orthoses and splints, adaptive equipment, positioning supports, and increasingly, 3D-printed devices tailored to the precise anatomical and functional needs of each individual client.

The Case for Custom: What Research Tells Us

A cost-effectiveness analysis of 3D printing applications in occupational therapy practice (Hunzeker & Ozelie, 2021) highlighted a landmark case in which a patient-specific 3D-printed hand orthosis with detachable connectors for holding objects outperformed standard off-the-shelf devices on nearly every measure of the Quality of Upper Extremity Skills Test (QUEST) — including typing speed, writing, fit, and ease of use. The patient’s scores on the Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test improved significantly within one month.

A 2025 systematic review of 3D-printed orthosis outcomes (Al-Tamimi et al., 2025) synthesized findings across multiple orthosis types and populations and found that 3D-printed upper limb orthoses consistently improved fine motor tasks such as eating and brushing in individuals with spinal cord injury and stroke. Dynamic hand orthoses reduced spasticity and improved hand function and strength. The review further noted that children with severe upper limb spasticity from cerebral palsy showed significant functional gains from 3D-printed dynamic upper extremity orthoses when combined with occupational therapy.

A 2025 commentary published in an assistive technology journal (Schwartz & colleague, 2025) described 3D printing as a cost-effective, customizable, and participatory tool that enables OT practitioners to create devices tailored to individual occupational goals — and called for broader integration of this technology into OT training and practice. The authors emphasized that client-reported satisfaction and participation metrics are the right measures of success for 3D-printed AT, reframing the goal not as “What did we print?” but “What can this person now do?

What Custom Fabrication Looks Like in Practice

The custom devices our OTs design and fabricate span a wide range of needs and applications:

•       Resting hand splints and dynamic orthoses for individuals with stroke, spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy, or arthritis

•       Wrist supports and thumb spica splints fabricated to the exact contours of a client’s hand

•       Adaptive utensil handles, writing aids, and tool grips that allow individuals with limited grip or fine motor control to eat, write, and work independently

•       Custom mounting solutions and phone or tablet holders for individuals with complex physical needs

•       Positioning supports and seating adaptations that improve posture, comfort, and functional reach

•       3D-printed prosthetic components, orthosis outriggers, and therapy tools designed in collaboration with the client

Each device begins with a thorough occupational therapy evaluation — not just of the injury or condition, but of the person’s specific goals, roles, routines, and environment. A splint designed for someone who works with their hands all day looks very different from one designed for someone primarily managing household tasks. Custom fabrication makes that individualization possible.

Why Occupational Therapists Are the Right Professionals for AT

Assistive technology is most effective when it is matched not just to a person’s diagnosis — but to their occupational life: the activities that matter to them, the environments they navigate, the roles they want to fulfill. This is precisely the lens through which occupational therapists are trained to see every client.

The AOTA Occupational Therapy Practice Framework defines OT’s scope as supporting participation in meaningful daily occupations. Assistive technology — whether a robotic arm that enables someone to eat independently, a custom orthosis that allows a craftsperson to hold their tools again, or a 3D-printed pencil grip that lets a child write in school — is a direct and powerful means of achieving that goal.

The research on AT outcomes consistently points to one conclusion: technology is only as effective as the clinical expertise, individualized matching, and ongoing training behind it. Devices that are prescribed without proper evaluation, fit without proper training, or left without follow-up tend to be abandoned. Devices that are embedded within a skilled OT process — assessed, fitted, taught, adjusted, and reassessed over time — become life-changing tools.

What This Looks Like at Adaptive Life Therapy

Our approach to assistive technology is never transactional. We do not simply hand someone a device and send them home. Our process includes:

•       Comprehensive AT evaluation to identify the right technology for each individual’s goals, body, and environment

•       Hands-on JACO trials, setup, programming, and personalized training for robotic arm users

•       Custom fabrication of orthoses, adaptive equipment, and 3D-printed devices designed specifically for each client

•       Caregiver education and training so that the people who support our clients know how to assist with and maintain AT devices

•       Ongoing follow-up and device modification as needs change over time

•       Advocacy and documentation to support funding and insurance justification for AT devices

Whether you or someone you love is exploring a robotic arm for the first time, needs a custom splint after a hand injury, or requires specialized adaptive equipment to participate more fully in daily life, Adaptive Life Therapy has the expertise and the tools to help.

Independence is not a luxury — it is a right. And with the right assistive technology, thoughtfully evaluated, carefully fabricated, and expertly implemented by occupational therapists who know your goals, it is within reach for far more people than many realize.

Contact Adaptive Life Therapy to schedule an assistive technology evaluation and learn what is possible.

Works Cited

American Occupational Therapy Association. (2020). Occupational therapy practice framework: Domain and process (4th ed.). American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74(Suppl. 2), 7412410010. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2020.74S2001

Al-Tamimi, Y. W., et al. (2025). The current state of 3D-printed orthoses clinical outcomes: A systematic review. Prosthetics and Orthotics International. https://doi.org/10.1177/03093646251332487

Atigossou, O. L. G., Faieta, J., Corcuff, M., Campeau-Lecours, A., Flamand, V. H., Routhier, F., & Bouffard, J. (2025). Social impact of the JACO wheelchair-mounted robotic arm on users and their caregivers. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 20(6), 1911–1920. https://doi.org/10.1080/17483107.2025.2477679

Beaudoin, M., Lettre, J., Routhier, F., Archambault, P. S., Lemay, M., & Gélinas, I. (2019). Long-term use of the JACO robotic arm: A case series. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 14(3), 267–275. https://doi.org/10.1080/17483107.2018.1428692

Faieta, J., Walker, M., Gerstle, M., Brewer, C., & Schmeler, M. (2025). Qualitative perspectives from Kinova® Jaco® robotic arm owners: Understanding daily device usage. PMC. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12353078/

Hunzeker, M., & Ozelie, R. (2021). A cost-effective analysis of 3D printing applications in occupational therapy practice. Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 9(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.15453/2168-6408.1751

Janson, R. (2020). A current snapshot of the state of 3D printing in hand rehabilitation. Journal of Hand Therapy, 33(2). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jht.2019.12.002

Lebrasseur, A., Lettre, J., Routhier, F., Archambault, P. S., & Campeau-Lecours, A. (2021). Assistive robotic arm: Evaluation of the performance of intelligent algorithms. Assistive Technology, 33(2), 95–104. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400435.2019.1601649

Routhier, F., & Archambault, P. (2014). Benefits of JACO robotic arm on independent living and social participation: An exploratory study. RESNA Annual Conference Proceedings. https://www.resna.org/sites/default/files/conference/2014/Robotics/Routhier.html

Schwartz, J. K., & colleagues. (2025). From makerspaces to practice: 3D printing expansion to improve assistive technology access. American Journal of Occupational Therapy. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2025.050481

Slegers, K., Krieg, A. M., & Lexis, M. A. S. (2022). Acceptance of 3D printing by occupational therapists: An exploratory survey study. Occupational Therapy International, 2022, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/4760294

Wichard, H. (2025). Impacts of the Jaco robotic arm on user satisfaction with performance in everyday activities. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 20(8), 3097–3106. https://doi.org/10